Checking in from Tulsa

Greetings from the heartland, where the temperatures are “again expected to exceed 100 degrees”:http://golf.lohudblogs.com/, and where spending the day at a hockey rink sounds nothing short of heavenly.

Anyway, many of you have probably already heard the Rangers “may be on the brink of a deal to sign Michael Peca”:http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2007/08/10/2007-08-10_exisle_peca_looks_for_blueshirts_fit.html. Should that happen, I or someone else will be sure to pass along.

In other news, the comments section continues to be a disappointment. I don’t have time to check every single post, but I scan enough to see the laws of civility are not always being followed. Furthermore, you can be certain that any posts under my name that don’t at least try follow the basic rules of grammar are coming from an impostor.

I realize the vast majority of you are simply trying to talk hockey in a friendly forum. I apologize for the few misguided souls who are making that increasingly difficult.

227 Comments

Why, oh why are the Rangers even talking to Peca? It is time for Hartford to produce some real, live NHL players. Every other team can regularly integrate young players into their lineups. Why can’t the Rangers follow suit?

If we do get him…which wont happen….What if in the future he gets screwed by Sather…how would that effect Hank…Maybe Joel would take advantage of being Hanks bro and want a little more money…I dont know…Just my opinion…I can care less if hes on the team or not…but he ont be since stars re signed him and do have high hopes on the kid..

And as for Peca…this guy needs to sign here or somewhere quick…Im sick of hearing about guys me might or might not sign…

I was talking to a Pens fan who thinks they will be great this year. But then I discounted his argument because he said Gary Roberts is a star. Anybody else see that as being true? Also, he said that Esposito would play with the Pens this year, and that Fleury wasn’t that bad, it’s the defense’s fault. I know someone here, I think Doodie, says Fleury is a sieve; their only defensive addition was Sydor, who isn’t that great, so they will probably be around the middle playoff seeds again rather than the division champ, like the Hockey News says.

Oh, by the way, that hack Eklund is now resorted to nonsense to make up his rumors. Somehow I’m addicted to his site right now because of all the rumors flying, which is some form of hockey news, but that’s another story. (The actual writers who have stories on that site are actually good though.) He “hears” Belfour to NYR, saying that Montoya should not be wasted backing up a top 5 goalie. OK. Then he says the Rangers need an experienced backup in case Lundqvist goes down. So in the span of two sentences he says Montoya is very good, then that he is not ready, which would almost make sense, except it reads like he thinks Montoya should be an NHL starter somewhere this season. And the only reason he says Peca to NYR is a hot rumor is because it wsa reported in the Daily News. DUH!

Woops….I copied and pasted that off some web site…Thanks for the correction…this sites making me look bad…this is why i dont have any sources…

I dont think any Jovo rumors are true any more…but hopefully NYR…if anything…They get 1 and not both…Drury..Gomez..Jovo..Peca…thats to much… i dont want NYR to be that kinda team…And were now the Buffalo Sabres of 07 – 08…were bandwagoners now…this sucks..

SPIDERPIG

Lol i was thinking the same thing…That would have been an ( E3 ) if it wasnt reported…the guys such a theif…I cant stand him…but love to read what he comes up with…Its funny to see pathetic losers do that sorta thing…and when he gets lucky and hes actually right…he tells everyone ” i told you so”..and i do have sources and im not a hack”….

He said that after Gomez signed…but before that he said…Gomez to the Avs..

Cup or no cup, I think they really need to start playing these younger players. Sounds harsh, but none of these young players will WANT to come to NY if they will be not played.
And by the way it is sad that Sam has to include in a his post for fellow posters to behave themselves. I guess we are getting to many KIDS on this sight. And those kids are probably adult age. Grow up people.

Will Hossa play 4th line or 1st line…if he plays 1st then Cally..Pru..or Avery will play 4th…and we cant have that…so either way…heres no room for Dawes…cause Orr and that other 4th liner will take his spot…and they wouldnt re sign Hollweg to not play him…so Dawes will have to wait for inujuries to happen…

This is good in a way…if we do sign Peca…

Dubi gets another year to work on his balance..which in my opinion is his only flaw that comes to mind…

And Ansimov will get a year or two under his belt..for some good ol hartford seasoning…Im excited to see him play..

Ansimov..Sauer..and Cherepanov…those are my three guys who i cnt wait to see play on NYR in the future…

Yes. It appears it will be autumn, winter and spring in hoppin’ Hartford for me.
But…
If Komandant Slats pulls this off; Peca at 1 mil replacing Peca-b clone Cullen at 2.8 mil (2 years)
plus adding Drury and that funny Gomez guy, I will tip the hockey stick to him and take first metro north out of town.

Signing Peca would be a big mistake.Besides the fact he is injury prone,there is already enough personalities or egos or whatever you want to call it in the Rangers lockeroom. I don’t see him as being anything but trouble one way or another. I think they should just give the spot to one of the kids from Hartford.

I honestly felt that we shut the door on this nonsense In March 2004 when we had our fire sale and began to rebuild. this would be a step backwards. We have some kids who should be fighting for the 3rd line spot. We don’t need peca. Too many chiefs, not enough injuns. I rarely ever get involved in the “chemistry” debates, finding many of them to be nonsense (unless a team adds a real trouble-maker) but here, it may fit, as we have a number of de facto captains on the Rangers…..just might be too much.

I kinda wonder (this is the type of speculation that I was just mocking!) how Peca and Avery would get along……ha!

I would take pecker for 1 million plus incentives. If he is accident prone this year, than Dubi will get to play. If he is HEALTHY, then we have a grinding checking 3rd line presence that came cheap. I think we win either way.

Whas the point of talking about chemistry with Peca and NYR…They havent even met yet…and he’s not onthe team..

Incase you all forgot….Avery hated Kopitar and all the young guys with the Kings…From what i heard from most LAK fans…All they say is that the youth on the team hated him and he hated them…

When we traded for him … no one bitched and moaned about chemistry…or how would him and Jags get along…we all just talked about how he’ll take bad penalties and yada yada yada..and we were wrong…he barely took bad penalties…and he was great with NYR…and drew important penalties for us…

Now dont get me wrong…im not saying i want Peca or dont want him…all im saying is we were wrong so much last season…

Peca can be a success or he might just be another Cullen…who knows…but i highly doubt Peca will be another Aaron Ward…who battles with Jags…or Avery or who ever…

Thats like saying Gomez will play like garbage and blame it on Drury cause he stole his number 23

Lol your right…you’d expect NYR fans to be happy about this…If Peca plays…he might get injured and you can throw in Dubi or Ansimov who can have there start in Hartford then get sent up incase he ges injured…

Does anyone think we’ll find out about his today for sure…or later in the week??

JOE are you stating that their development has been hindered and will be further, and they’re ready now? Talk about stetching the truth. Their development will be furthered in Hartford , it has not been hindered, and there is a a pretty big MAYBE in the ready now. Nevermind comparing the experience factor of Peca vs 2 rookies in the playoffs. There is very little downside to taking a chance on Peca. He’s both a good gamble & an insurance policy that is affordable.

SI3…”Peca is fine as long as Betts is traded away so that Dubinsky has a spot.{

That is a distinct possiblity, except I don’t think they’ll trade Betts, but Peca might get or share his job. Whether they go with Straka, Avery, Dubinsky, or Peca as the 3rd line center would be the decision.

Message to Slats:
Why waste valuable cap space and further complicate “chemistry” issues in October/November when we need to get off to a good start. We don’t need another locker room lawyer or strong personality here. Also, the team is likely to need some cap flexability at the trade deadline in Feb. I have enough confidence in Dubinsky and / or Dawes that we can get 10-12 minutes a night of solid play at 3rd line center. BTW – would love to see Hartford scrimmage the Islanders!

Anybody who watch Oilers 2006 cup run should know just how clutch Peca is. He was not just defensive/faceoff guru he popped in 6 goals 5 assists in 24 games after scoring 9 goals all year. The guy can play BIG

kaspar good points but your wasting your finger strokes on the frustrated gm wanna be. They create their own lopsided decision tree. Peca is better than Betts, but not many want to listen. Sather knows the pros and cons better than the kiddie cheerleaders along with the just say no crowd of the so called positive thinkers;-)

The Cup came to my neck of the woods this morning for a quick visit. Andy McDonald of the Ducks visited Hamilton, NY, home of his alma mater (Colgate Univ., Class of ’00) to show off the hardware and sign autographs. My 12-yr-old defenseman got a kick out of it, and so did I. Got a real good look at the trophy and imagined Jags, Shanny, Hank, Gomer and Nails (my nickname for Drury) hoisting it in ’08. McDonald is a class act.

If you are worried about people posting with your name, then have the tech people on this site make your name appear in a different color or something. It’s not hard. Complaining about it won’t do any good.

Adams basically stinks. He’s a slightly better version of Hollweg which is still really bad. Agree, Chicago should have gotten a pick. Not that Vrbata is all that impressive. However, at least he had 41 points. Adams is hardly a great defensive player either. He’s also old.

As far as getting Peca here. Unless it’s to replace Betts, you would have to be a total moron to want this guy as our 3rd line center. People spent years about not rebuilding. Finally, we have a stocked system with tons of 3rd and 4th line players and people want to bring in relics like Peca and keep losers like Hollweg. I figure Dubinsky or Anisimov will take the 3rd line spot. Next year you might see Either Dubinsky or Anisimov move up to the second line center position with Drury moving over to the wing.

Point is that Peca unless he’s replacing unproductive Betts, is a bad move.

“Why would NYR move Drury to the wing when heÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s one of the best faceoff men in the NHL right now”

moving him to wing doesn’t mean he can’t take faceoffs, and if he is not taking the faceoff then the faceoffman can be more agressive knowing that if he gets thrown out of the faceoff, Drury will take it.

“Thats like putting Lundqvist on left wingÃ¢â‚¬Â¦And Jagr and Shanny as Goalie and backupÃ¢â‚¬Â¦”

PECA – Here’s my theory: The Leafs DON’T want Peca, who is starting to act his age and weight. Peca wants to be on a contender in the east, where he’s spent most of his career. Probably the best contenders in the east are Pittsburgh(doesn’t need centers, in a lame town), Ottawa and the Rangers. Among those teams, the Rangers are the only ones with a question mark at third line center, which is the only thing he’s capable of playing at this point in his career. Given that every signing is 50/50, I’m sure Peca’s agent is calling Slats every other hour asking for this rumored “$1 million incentive-laden contract.”

Now here’s why I HIGHLY doubt Peca will ever wear a Ranger jersey. First, he’s a smallish forward who plays twice his size. In otherwords, another Sean Avery, only older and more injury prone. There’s nothing Peca can do that Avery can’t. Second, the Rangers are trying to CUT salary, not ADD salary. At this point, they’ve got some question marks, but none that can’t be resolved within the system. Third, the ONLY thing Peca would bring to the team is a veteran leadership presence. With Shanny, Jags and Drury on the roster, plus maybe even Kaspar, this is not a spot lacking on this team. Peca’s ability, whether clutch or otherwise, can be replaced with a half-dozen players in Hartford.

If anyone else gets signed on this team, it’ll be someone with size who can bang. Peca is tough, but he doesn’t fill either of these capacities.

tdchi Peca & Lundquist have the same agent, Meehan. It’s hard to tell what Sather is going to do. The rumor du jour will continue until Peca is signed somewhere, even though Friday has passed. They’re probably considering him for a role as an experienced backup for Betts & whoever they decide for 3rd line center.

imaginaiton – even that doesn’t make much sense. As it stands now, third-line center is probably going to go to Avery, with Dubinsky being the dark horse. In any other senario, either Hossa, Callahan or Prucha would need to slide down to fourth, which is not an effective area for any of those players.

Trading Cullen was part salary cap, but also, to ensure those three guys could have spots on the top three lines. As of now, I see Hoss skating first and Prucha and Callahan on third. I don’t for see Sather trading these three at the start of the season, which would pretty much be the only way he could hold in the lineup. Again, I think the Peca rumors are largely from Peca himself. Meehan even said there’s a 50/50 chance. What’s that mean? Sather’s not interested and Peca is.

I’ll gladly (or rather bitterly) eat my words if he does sign. I just don’t think its going to happen. Sort of like all the smoke around Souray, and more recently, the fanciful musing over Jovanovski.

how is Sanguinetti an offensive “wizard”. He never even had a point per game regular season in 3 OHL seasons. Tyutin had over point per game in his first OHL season, what does that make him, an offensive “necromancer”? Girardi also had very good offensive numbers in both OHL and AHL, why is he and Tyutin being pigeonholed as defensive defensemen, while Sanguinetti is glorified as offensive?

ORR maybe you can start your own ‘eklund-like’ blog. Nobody else is reporting it, not even Dellapina who ressurrected the rumor, nor eklund the whirlwind. Wherever you been going, maybe you shoudn’t go there anymore, but keep your ear to the ground .;-) The rumor started here when someone posted with Sam’s name and then was posted on BB.

actually Betts might be partly the product of Renney’s defensive system, where he has a short least on the bottom 2 lines and doesn’t let them be creative offensively. But still the sooner he is gone the better, and same goes for Renney.

Chilled
Betts was by far our best face-off guy in 07. I seem to remember that the Rangers were one face-off win / 8 seconds from a W in Game 5. Betts is a good PK guy and does not kill the Cap. Who is going to play all of those shorthanded minutes in the new NHL (Prucha, Hollweg….)

Cullen was actually our best faceoff man. Now we have Drury and Gomez as well as Dubinsky who are all very good on faceoffs.

Penalty killers would be Straka, Hossa, Drury, Dubinsky, Avery, Moore, possibly Hollweg and Shanahan. And I would love to see Callahan and Prucha being used there as well. Even if our PK suffers a little, it will be balanced out by more offense.

Chilled: get the ice off your brain. It’s starting to freeze. Sather signed Gomez and Drury to get to the cup finals. And besides, would you HONESTLY trade perhaps the best passer since Gretzky and a cannon from the point for an over-rated, over-paid defensemen and a 31-year-old center who hasn’t skated more than 77 games in his career or since 2002-2003? Wait, don’t answer that.

Here’s a challenge for you: can you name a single team that has signed an FA and then traded him before he skated a single game? I can’t.

And then there’s your usual Lundqvist trade …here’s what Stars president Jim Lites had to say about Lundqvist last month after he was signed to a TWO-YEAR CONTRACT: “I am encouraged by the re-signing of Joel Lundqvist…Lundqvist showed well in the latter stages of the season and in the playoff series against Vancouver. I believe Lundqvist will have a breakout season…The main differences [in the lineup next season] are Mattias Norstrom replacing Darryl Sydor, Joel Lundqvist replacing Eric Lindros…”

Yep. Sounds like they’re ready to trade him for an AHLer and a third-line defenseman…

Lastly, O’Donnell? At 35, He’s older than Malik for christ sake…Why not just enjoy the team the way it is? This is the best Ranger team I can remember this century. Depth, youth, and chemistry. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. I doubt Slats will make anymore moves until after training camp.

tdchi .. “I doubt Slats will make anymore moves until after training camp”

I doubt you’re right on that one. Sather is not done and if he can make moves before camp, he will. And I think he’s working on them. One of the reasons rumors start is because of discussions which GM always have. The other is fantasy which some fans, reporters , and blog siters engage in. Some even hear voices and talk to imaginary people.

Also a poster at Blueshirt Bulletin says he ran into Peca at the airport in Chicago and Peca told him he is on his way to NY for a phyiscal. The guy could be full of it but he posted last night and the Post reported this in todays edition.

Orr – I was thinking the same thing last night watching MSG. I guess I could go either way on this Peca thing. I don’t think we need him. Clearly, there is enough character in the locker room. I just wonder with Schoenfeld being promoted, and presumably more influential, what does that say about Dawes and Dubinsky filling the 3rd line role? BTW – if Peca is 5’11”, than Prucha is 6’2″.

ORR – the games are in September (see article) at the O2 Arena (formerly known as the millenium dome) – apparently the Ducks and Kings will play on back-to-back nights.
It sold out in record time – tickets are on Ebay for Ã‚Â£100 or more (if i had the money…).

Truth is, the best place to break in Dubinsky or Anisimov is centering the fourth line. Third line center has too much defensive responsibility to be a good place for a rookie to cut his teeth. They’ll sigm Peca and if Dubinsky makes the team out of camp Betts gets dealt.

Sabres didn’t really have a defensive line last season and they were fine. If we have defensive 4th line it will be fine. And I would take Peca for 1 season over 2 years of Betts. So Peca on the 4th line centering Hollweg and Moore would be a good defensive line.

If they do sign Peca, as Orr has been saying, someone good will have to play on the fourth line (read: Prucha), that is if Hossa is playing first. So if they sign Peca, I would expect a trade. Plus, I wouldn’t sign him for any more than Hossa, even including incentives, since he doesn’t look to be an integral part of the team based on the late signing. Our roster is already full with 23 people, including Dawes, and it’s likely one forward and at least one defenseman wil be dropped from that 23, so I still can’t see Peca fitting.

Actually I was reading around yesterday, and when Eklund said Auld to Yotes, TSN hadn’t put up their story yet. That’s ont to say he isn’t still a hack because two days ago he said Auld to Russia was a strong possibility.

imagination: Again, I’ll believe it when I see it(re:Peca, more moves). Although I will concede there is some compelling evidence this guy will be signed, meaning see ya’ later, Dawes; enjoy Harford Anisimov and Dubinsky; have fun on fourth, Hossa and Callahan; and goodbye, Kasparitis. The later is almost a foregone conclusion these days, as much as it pains me to say that.

The only bonus to Peca signing is that he’ll probably get injured within the first couple of months. I mean, this is a 5’11 190-pound forward who hasn’t played 80 games since 2001-2002.

…AND he’s a former Islander captain…

Well, if he signs, I hope I’m dead wrong about all my assumptions.

Chilled: don’t you understand, IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PAY FOR LUNDQVIST. HE’S NOT ON THE MARKET. While I was looking for some Stars quotes last night, I came across plenty of occasions where fans have mused about getting the twins together. But never once did I stumble upon a GM or President or Agent or anyone that might have actually talked to the Lundqvists, who indicated this was even a thought. Given what the Stars president jsut recently said about the kid, I’d say you’ll have to wait two years before Joel goes on the market. And by that time, Henrik might not even be a Ranger(god forbid).

Re: Gomez – I cease to see your logic here. Gomez didn’t get signed by Phoenix. Obviously, he didn’t want to go to Phoenix, seeing as though that was one team that never surfaced in rumors this summer; and why would Gretzky want to acquire a player…alright…this logic is going nowhere…I’ll just repeat what the Sportsnet scouts said about Gomez, then forget I ever mentioned Gretzky: “Possesses Gretzky-like vision and passing skills. Also features terrific speed and a feisty attitude.”

Gomez isn’t being traded anywhere. Anyone who thinks that is out of their mind. You don’t sign a player and then trade him before he ever plays a game. You would never have another top FA sign with you. (Not to mention it has been rumored Gomez has a no trade clause in his contract).

Lets at least see Peca play a couple games before the doom and gloom starts. If Peca signs its for one year. Dubinsky has only had 1 year in Hartford (Cally has 2, Dawes 2 as well) and Aminsov has never played a professional game in North America. Each will be fine down in Hartford this year and one or the other will be on the team next year or by years end.

“Chilled: donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t you understand, IT DOESNÃ¢â‚¬â„¢T MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PAY FOR LUNDQVIST. HEÃ¢â‚¬â„¢S NOT ON THE MARKET.”

based on what? Your imagination and assumptions?

“IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll just repeat what the Sportsnet scouts said about Gomez, then forget I ever mentioned Gretzky: Ã¢â‚¬Å“Possesses Gretzky-like vision and passing skills.”

so what? they can say whatever they want. There were 35 players this season who had more assists than Gomez. I think Jovanovski is a better defenseman than Gomez is a center and Reinprecht is better at his position than Mara is at his. And I don’t believe that a group of vets that already won the Cups will be hungry enough to get us a Cup.

We already know who is out of his mind, even before trading Gomez. Reinprecht is washed up; he was also injured for a substantial time last year. I remember this because he was stashed on IR on my fantasy team. Then he performed like crap when he came back. I still say vets who have won the Cup are more “hungry” than those that haven’t, if that Cup win came five years ago. They know the feeling and want to have it again. Anybody else doesn’t know exactly how that feels, and while they want to win, I can’t say that they’re as “hungry,” especially kids who “hunger” just to make the team and stick.

no, not necessarily in their last season. But if a player’s dream is to get the Cup and he hasn’t gotten it by age 30 he starts getting more desperate. That is why Jovanovski will be more important in the playoffs than one dimensional Gomez. That is why also Peca would be better than Betts (actually he already is better than Betts in pretty much every way)

I still say vets who have won the Cup are more Ã¢â‚¬Å“hungryÃ¢â‚¬? than those that havenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t, if that Cup win came five years ago. They know the feeling and want to have it again. Anybody else doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know exactly how that feels, and while they want to win, I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t say that theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re as Ã¢â‚¬Å“hungry,Ã¢â‚¬? especially kids who Ã¢â‚¬Å“hungerÃ¢â‚¬? just to make the team and stick.

———

I agree with you. Look at how Jagr played down the stretch when playing with a legit team. That man is thirsty for the Big Silver again. I think he may very well have a GIANT season coming up.

Anyone else kinda hope Crosby never wins one? I feel like it’s not even a question he’ll get one, and very early.

What makes me laugh is how people (not anyone here…just people in general) complained about losing Orts and Cullen because we lost penalty killers. Now Sather wants to bring in an excellent penalty killer who is a clutch goal-scorer and people are somewhat upset. First of all – Avery, Shanny, Betts, and either Hollweg-Orr are all good penalty killers. Second of all – Cullen was being paid 3 million and YES he was a very hard skater, good in the shootout, and a good penalty killer. But i don’t think cullen was worth 3 mill a year.

I am the biggest fan of going with youth…i think guys like prucha and hossa will be our future in a few years. HOWEVER – don’t hate peca just because of injuries. We’ve seen how guys can play excellent after injuries. I don’t see anyone complaining about keeping Shanny, Jagr, Straka, Prucha, Betts — everyone in this great game of hockey gets injured.

They’re not trying to sign Eric Lindros people…the ONLY bad thing i see coming out of signing peca would be the whole “too many chiefs” issue…but with renny behind the bench i don’t see that happening.

Amen, Derf. Look, they are clearly going all out this year so why not sign Peca even if he only plays 30 games. He was massive in the playoffs/Cup run for the Oilers in ’06 and he missed almost the whole season then too. If we were really interested in a youth movement the Peca move wouldn’t make sense, but we’re not-plus as much as I liked Cullen, you can’t pay 2.9 mil for a third line center in the salary cup era. I’d also like to add that adding Peca would be what, our fourth guy who has already been a captain in his career?

I’d also like to see us make the move for Jovo. Staal and Tyutin might get there eventually, but Jovo could be our fiercest/largest blueline presence since Beukeboom.

Ok can we get a new post from Mr Weinman, or did he end up melting down in Tulsa. I know there is nothing going on in Ranger land but somethng new to chat about would be nice. Sam go to the rink and get cooled down, maybe you hear something while your there.

Just sign the guy already…Give him a shot on the team…This way Ansimov gets some good ol Hartford seasoning…and Dubi gets motivated by knowing he will be a definent call up for injury and a possible replacement somewhere down the line…and he gets his game in better shape and cuts down his flaws…which obviously you all know is his balance…And Peca gets to show what he has…or what he’s calling 110 %.

Those are the most logical things. Phoenix needs to increase a payroll. Lundqvist is a nobrainer and we can afford to overpay to get him. He is just what we need–a 2 way physical center to replace impotent Betts.

Chilled – take your meds, dude. What gives me the assumption Lundqvist is NOT on the market? Did you read those quotes from the Stars’ president? He didn’t say he expects DAWES to have a breakout year. He didn’t say he expects IMMONEN to replace Lindros. So tell me what is logical about trading for a guy that is NOT on the market. And go ahead and give some BS line about “everyone is on the market for a price.” Lundqvist is a young two-way center with hockey in his blood. The Stars will give this guy quite a chance.

Anf Jovanoski for Gomez? WTF is logical about THAT move? Phoenix needs to INCREASE their payroll? WTF NHL team NEEDS to shell out more money?!? Not one that hasn’t threatened for the cup since they moved from Canada. And do you think Gomez, who beamed when he put on a Ranger jersey for the first time, would want to give a go at Phoenix instead of the Big Apple? Vice Versa, do you think Gretzky is dumb enough to build a tram around a guy who was jetisoned by two last year?

The only thing your “moves” lack IS logic. I could kick myself for responding to this bunk, but I tell you what. Name your wager on your deals(at least the ones mentioned above) NEVER happening. Ever. Not now, not in 10 years. I’ll gladly take that bet.

Gomez is very overrated and is making a million more than Jovanovski who is a better player any way you look at it. Reinprecht easily fills in Gomez’s spot as a 2nd line center.

tdchi, if you are so into quotes, did you happen to catch Drury’s about how Avs and Flames told him they like him and want to keep him and yet both traded him. Nothing in NHL is set in stone so stop spewing some nonsense that Joel is untouchable. There only untouchables are the likes of Yashin whose contract is out of whack.

tdchi, Phoenix is below the minimum allowable payroll, they have to increase it.

being stuck with Gomez for 7 years really scares me. trading Mara and Gomez for Reinprecht and Jovanovski, not only sheds 2 million in cap space and 3 years in bad contract, it also makes us a much nastier team to play against and Jovanovski would be a leader and a mentor for young players like Girardi and Staal. It makes us a better, more physical and hungrier team. And we won’t be stuck with Gomez’s untradeable contract for 7 years. Gomez has been my most hated player in NHL ever since I laid eyes on his constant shit eating grin.

How come the Rangers are one of the two last teams, along with Buffalo on the same day, to start their preseason games? Does their training camp also start that much later, as well. I understand Anaheim and LA going early, but I wonder why it takes five more days to get us started. :(

Eklunds saying Aaron Ward might go back to the Canes…I actually wouldnt be surprised…I think the Canes are trying to get that team back…But i still dont think Cam Ward is that great…Just a few highlught reel saves but not the important saves to back him up….

Of coarse there the rumors now of Montoya going to LAK…Not that i believe it…but just outta curiosity…who do they have that would be useful for us??

“one year deal for Peca is a no brainer for a team gunning for the cup.”

-I think the reason we still have not heard one way or the other is that Peca is looking for a multi-year contract, and I think NYR is smart enough to not deal him one easily. I’d take him for $1M/ONE year, but I really wish we could see how the kids work out first and then decide if we need him or not.

-Cullen: I never considered him “good” in the shootout. What was his shoot out % and how does it compare to others?

-What is the fucking DEAL with Joel Lundqvist? Not Happening. I doubt those two even want to be with the same club at this point.

If they didn’t want to be on the same team, then why were they together in Frolunda for so long? And why did Lundqvist stand on his head when we played Dallas? It was his way of saying that he will play superhuman if his twin is within a 2 mile perimeter.

That’s funny, the more we talk about it, the more I don’t want him on the team. If Dubinsky makes the team, I could actually live with him 4th and Betts 3rd just to provide defense on the third. If no vet wing moves to center, this would leave Callahan, Prucha, or Hossa to play with Dubinsky, rather than having a prospect like Dawes there with Betts and Hollweg/Orr, making a totally non-scoring line. If Dawes makes the team instead, I guess that would have to be his position unless Hossa does badly wherever else he is put, hopefully trying the first line for a few games.

If Hossa can’t cut it, put Prucha up there, move Hossa down to fourth and move Dubinsky/Dawes to third.

I would like to see a bruising defenseman on the team, so hopefully Kaspar can make it and we won’t have to trade for anybody. Then see PÃƒÂ¶ck or Mara traded away (maybe one with Hutchinson) because they’re essentially the same, except I think PÃƒÂ¶ck plays with more passion; it’s just that PÃƒÂ¶ck is much more tradeable based on age and contract. Maybe we could get a better backup goalie in that deal so Valiquette can backup at Hartford. I don’t care about Staal starting the season in NY anymore.

Having to face a line up that includes regular shifts for hard hitting forwards Peca, Avery and Hollweg (and even Hossa, Prucha, Callahan, Shanahan and Orr) will not be fun for opposing teams. The constant hitting, done intelligently, will wear down defenses, creating opportunities for the skaters.

“From what ive been hearing on the day, It looks like Mike Peca has finalized a deal with the New York Rangers today. Im not completely positive on this though. I wont give all of you an update until i know for sure. Ill see if i can get to the bottom of this. So stay tuned.”

Should be I’ve (not ive), it (not It), I’m (not Im), I (not i), I’ll (not Ill, unless he actually means ill, as in sick), and I (not i, again).

just wan’t every to look at the ducks roster and tell me the percentage of young home grown talent vs vets from other teams.i bet you’ll find it at around 50-50 or so.we
currently have callahan,prucha,girardi,the king,tyutin,hollweg(who does not really count to me because is a non factor).that’s five out of a roster of 23! that is just not going to cut it,sorry to all you peca/jovo fans.that is still a team full of mercinairies.we need to give dubinsky,staal every chance in the world to make the team,along with pssibly bourett or byers for the fourth line.and perhaps lifiton as the solution for the banger that we need on d.

the ducks had nine home grown or aquired players(drafted by other teams,developed by the ducks)including penner.this year they will still have at least eight possibly nine if you include bobby ryan who will replace penner.thats how you build a team!

I know; that’s why the *lol* was there to point out the joke. Cuz you always say those things.

Czech – that is so right on. The only reason they want Peca, however, is to provide insurance for the first two centers, most likely. But they have Straka and Avery as established centers that can play there, so I don’t see where Peca is needed.

czech The NYR are trying to do more of that. They have a very young group in Hartford that will be here over the next three seasons. Have patience, like Renney & Sather are trying to do. Signing UFAs is a way to keep those guys and the upcoming picks. They are going for The Cup while Jagr & Shanahan are still here. Is that so bad? There’s nobody in Hartford that can fill those Hall of Fame skates as far as most can tell yet. They’ve earned the right to do what they are trying to do next season, and those players deserve that chance. It’s what they live and play for.

“UPDATE: John Dellapina updates us on what he knows about the Peca situation at his Blueshirts Blog — Glen Sather and Tom Renney are deciding between Peca and a pair of rookies — Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov — to fill the middle on the third line during a potential Cup run. Over at Newsday, Steve Zipay confirms the information posted by one of our readers that Peca is in town for a physical exam.”

if Renney and Sather are deciding between Dubinsky and Peca, I guarantee they will go with Peca. No rookie will get the benefit of the doubt while these 2 schmucks rule over the team.

bklynblue-i am with you on shanny and jagr,and i agree that they are trying to win the cup this year.i just don’t think they are going to improve thier chances by adding yet another 33 year old player way past his prime who in his last full year scored 9g and 14 assts on a high scoring oilers team.not only will he not produce on his own,he will
also stunt the offensive development of his linemates certain to be callahan and prucha.

Chilled you now sound like you have a monkey brain. As imperfect and human Sather and Renney have been, they’ve made big improvements over the last 2 seasons including playing rookies.. I don’t agree with everything they do , but they’ve earned the right to do what they think is right next season. Signing Peca , if they do, is their decision not yours’. You’re the one talking like a schmuck. I pick them over you to run the team, rookie.

Chilled: again, never once have the Rangers or the Stars mentioned any such deal. Not once. Not when the Lundqvists were in Sweden, not when Henrik made the team and his brother was still unknown in Sweden and not now that Joel is on the Stars. Why’d they play so long for Vastra Frolunda? I don’t know…maybe because that was the team they were selected by? It makes no difference. Obviously, Hank doesn’t mind playing without his twin.

And how about one more quote…from USA Today “The Stars want to give Lundqvist every opportunity to make the roster as a regular next season and are giving him a contract that represents their confidence in him.”

Yep. Sounds like they’d take Dawes and Pock for him…Sure it would be nice to have a Lundqvist family reunion in the Garden, and if there were a hint of a rumor that Joel was comming to this team, I’d be all for it. But there isn’t. In fact, there’s not even a hint of smoke around your nearly incessant trade proposals regarding the twins. Even with dip$hit$ like Eklund, who live for rumors like that.

As for Reinprecht-Gomez, you’re almost right. Overall, Reinprecht is an 81 and Gomez is an 86…IN NHL 2007. PUT THE CONTROLLER DOWN. And here’s a hint: anytime a scout uses the term “Gretzky-like vision and passing” in reference to a player, it generally trumps “has great speed, natural offensive instincts and a good shot.”

Spiderpig: if Peca signs, kiss Kaspar goodbye. It would be impossible to skate him unless Mara is traded for a bag of pucks. This is one of the many reasons I DON’T want Peca. I’d rather see a free-for-all in training camp for the number-six defender and the number-three center slots. As I mentioned on another site: if Peca wants on this team, he can tryout with Anisimov, Dubinsky and the rest of the kids. If he can outplay them, then the job and the millions are his.

Fake Weinman: You don’t fool anyone, seeing as though you have very poor grammar and Sam would simply create a new topic if he really had such info. So please, eat a healthy breakfast of arsnic and go play in rush hour traffic on the Henry Hudson whilst wearing a sign reading “Red Sox Rule New York.”

tdchi – Oh, I know that Kaspar won’t be considered if Peca is signed. Another thing I don’t understand is why they are considering giving Peca over a million dollars. Hell, he shouldn’t get any more than the rookies he is trying to beat out. Hopefully, if he is signed, then they will send him down to the AHL if Dubinsky or Dawes shows him up in training camp. It’s too bad they can’t just wait around until the end of September to sign him or not because he will likely be snatched up by then.

Also, what I would like to see is a free competition for two defense spots, with one or two losers being traded away for a second round pick in next year’s draft if they are Mara and Hutchinson. Refer to my earlier post on that one.

I’m not going to be negative about Peca – i just hoped we would fill the slot with a young player. The good thing is we will have added an experienced PKer to replace the 2 we lost this off-season. Also Peca is no iron-man so i’m sure there will be injury call-ups for younger players like Dubi and Ansimov or Dawes during the season.

Spider – i’m with you on the defense apart from Staal – i think Tyutin and Roszival are rock-solid and the rest can compete for the remaining 4 starting slots. But – its not my team and i’m sure Glen, Schony and Renney have their own plans on D.

“As for Reinprecht-Gomez, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re almost right. Overall, Reinprecht is an 81 and Gomez is an 86Ã¢â‚¬Â¦IN NHL 2007. PUT THE CONTROLLER DOWN.”

Sounds like you need to put the controller down. I never even got NHL 2007. And I got rid of older ones long time ago. I am looking at their stats, icetime, etc. If Gomez typically gets around 66 points a season with very good linemates, Reinprecht gets 52 points with a bit less icetime, while killing penalties, and with less productive linemates. Reinprecht also consts 5.3 million less and is not locked up to 7 year contract.

tdchi what does signing Peca have to do with Kasparitis? If the reports are true and they sign Peca, about $300,00 will be this years cap hit, with $1mil going to next years if necessary. The D situation is next to be addressed, but that’s pretty much a separate issue that will probably take at least up to Oct to sort out. I’d like to see Avery, Hollweg, Peca, & Kasparitis, & Tyutin or Strudwick out on the same shift in Sept., and watch what happens.

Chilled: You’ve got no frame of reference here in comparing these two players. That’s my point. None. Zippo. Not even on paper…if you want to get into this BS apples-and-oranges comparisson, I’d say Gomez played with a defense-first team where Patrik Elais scored only 69 points. Elias is going to make $7.5 million next season, so let me guess, “Reinprecht gets 52 points with a bit less icetime, while killing penalties, and with less productive linemates.” Not to mention, Reinprecht also costs $5 million “less and is not locked up to 7 year contract.” So under that logic, you’d rather have Reinprecht than Elais? PUHLEASE. Sometimes I think you argue for the sake of arguing, even though you’re making no sense.

Bk – I believe they’d need to trim cap space for Kaspar as it is now. With $1.25 million more going to Peca, that’s all the less room for Kaspar.

Alex – It’s probably around the most because there was so much turnover with two years of contracts expiring in Summer 2005. I guess you wouldn’t include Lundqvist since he wasn’t even in the AHL, so are you only including NHL players? A good way to find out would be go to Wikipedia and check the NHL rosters for when each player was acquired, except then you would have to check whether they were with the team yet or just drafted, like Lundqvist whose entry says 2000. I think like a third of the league’s players were free agents in 2005.

It appears that the rangers are going to sign Peca. I am not for this move. Pecca has been injury prone for years now. I can understand this move only because it appears that the rangers are going to to try and win the cup this season for jagr. I will say that after this season the rangers should start to implement there young players in the farm system, if they don’t than sather has not changed with his way of building this team. Only time will tell.

The biggest problem would be no true checking line but Hossa could play 4th line here b/c Dubinsky and Dawes both know how to score. Avery, Peca and Cally would be so fun to watch. The team would be so young and feisty with scoring threats all over the place. Betts, could get traded and Hollweg/Orr could be put in for Dawes if more physical presence were needed.